A Community Foundation is an independent, community-owned philanthropic organisation that operates in a specific region. It works with a range of donors to build endowment funds as long-term community assets; over time, a community foundation will typically build up a collection of endowed funds from many donors in the community. It makes grants to local organisations and initiatives, and it brings people together to build social capital and strengthen their communities by undertaking community leadership and partnership activities to address a wide variety of needs in its service area. In a nutshell:  local people giving time, skills and money for community benefit.

FRRR has been a catalyst for and strong supporter of several Community Foundations over many years, providing financial support for feasibility studies as well as supporting the work of many Foundations around Australia through Sustainability Grants, which enabled them to meet their operating costs. We continue to support Community Foundations, as we believe they are an effective way of developing and delivering place-based philanthropy.

We see very clear evidence of the impact of Community Foundations through the Back to School program and in the many small grant programs these vital community organisations run.

FRRR Philanthropic Services supports rural and regional Community Foundations in three key ways:

• Community Foundation Accounts make FRRR’s unique DGR1 tax status available to Community Foundations to help attract funding from any entity, as well as support projects within their communities which don’t have the required DGR1 status to be eligible. FRRR’s Community Foundation Accounts broaden the reach of both the Community Foundation and FRRR’s philanthropy into rural, regional and remote Australia;
• Coaching and advice, sharing expertise we have gained from our work with Foundations over many years;
• Scholarships to support representatives from Community Foundations to attend the annual Community Foundations Forum.

To learn more, click on the relevant page above, or contact FRRR on 1800 070 020.

Community Foundations we have supported include:

More information

Australian Community Philanthropy (ACP) is the peak organisation and network for Community Foundations in Australia, assisting them to establish, grow and achieve their objectives. To explore the benefits a Community Foundation could offer your community or your philanthropic fund, please visit their website or contact us to discuss further.